The rise of computers and the internet has turned shopping into an easy, hassle-free experience that can be done right from your home. Whether you need clothes, home decor, groceries, or electronics, you can choose and pay for everything with just a click.
Cashback websites, apps, and browser extensions have emerged alongside online shopping, making things even more convenient. One well-known platform is Ebates.com. However, it can be a bit challenging to understand its benefits and how it stacks up against the competition. Therefore, it’s essential to look at what Ebates offers and consider its pros and cons before diving in.
What It Does
Ebates is a cashback website where you earn rebates by shopping through their partner stores. While you don’t shop directly on Ebates, you do go through their affiliate links provided on their site. Ebates features over 1,600 stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kohl’s, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and Petco. By creating an account and shopping through Ebates, you can earn cashback ranging from 1 to 6 percent. Essentially, it’s just like shopping at your favorite stores, but you go through an intermediary.
How to Get Started with Ebates
Signing up is simple—just use your email address. As a bonus, you get a $10 gift card to a store of your choice. No need to link a credit card or bank account. Once you have an account, browse your preferred stores on the Ebates website and start shopping to earn cashback. Points are typically added to your account within one to six days after payment, but Ebates holds onto them for 60 days to ensure you don’t cancel your purchase.
Payments are made on scheduled dates via PayPal or a mailed check. The great thing about Ebates is that after signing up, there are no additional steps. You just shop as you usually would, earning money back with no extra effort, especially if you use the Google Chrome extension.
How Much It Costs
Creating an Ebates account is completely free, and there are no charges to access your earned money. However, Ebates takes a small portion of the cashback for referring you. Despite this, the account remains free, and it’s unlikely you’ll find a cashback site that doesn’t take a share of your returns.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
– Earn extra gift cards and money just by signing up, referring friends, and shopping.
– Wide selection of stores.
– Free and easy to use.
– Reliable customer service.
Cons:
– Some users have reported issues with order tracking and missed payments.
– Amazon cashback is limited to certain categories.
– There is a 60-day wait for payouts.
– Payments are only issued four times a year.
How It Compares
Swagbucks is another platform that gives you money back for shopping, but it only lets you exchange your points for gift cards and coupons. While you can get PayPal gift cards, it takes a lot of points to reach a meaningful payout.
TopCashBack, on the other hand, offers some of the best cashback rates and partners with over 3,500 retailers. They promise to credit your cash within a week and let you withdraw any amount once your cash is in pending status. Plus, they give you 100 percent of the commission they earn from affiliates, making them a strong competitor to Ebates.
Who It’s Best For
If you often shop online and Ebates partners with many of your favorite stores, it could be the perfect platform for you. It costs nothing to sign up and requires no extra effort to earn cashback. If you’re going to buy something anyway, why not use an Ebates link to get a bit of money back? So if you love online shopping, don’t miss out on saving money with Ebates.